Recap | The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup - Round 24

Panthers end Warriors unbeaten streak, edge closer to securing finals spot

Stewart Moses

Match summary

The New Zealand Warriors may have been crowned The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Minor Premiers at St Marys Leagues Stadium this afternoon, but their 15-match unbeaten run has come to an end following a 20-18 defeat at the hands of the Penrith Panthers.

The first half was a seesawing affair with both sides swapping leads at varying stages, before the Panthers took control at half-time, leading 16-12. The home side skipped out to a 20-12 lead early in the second half, but couldn't quite land the killer blow before a late Warriors try reduced the gap to two, setting up a grandstand finish.

However the Panthers managed to hold on to secure a win that puts them above the Newtown Jets into fourth position pending results over the remainder of the round, and allows Penrith to get within a win of securing a spot into the finals.

The Warriors opened the scoring in just the fifth minute of play, when centre Morgan Harper crossed in southeast corner, converted brilliantly from the touchline by Jett Cleary to give the competition pace-setters an early 6-0 lead.

A couple of repeat penalties inside the Warriors' 20 enabled the Panthers to hit back in the 10th minute when a quick shift right allowed centre Sione Fonua to slice though the gap to score out wide, unconverted by centre partner Paul Alamoti to trail 6-4.

Poor discipline again from the Warriors inside their own half allowed the hosts to score in the 15th minute, with another quick shift right inside the 20 enabling winger Jesse McLean to cross over next to the posts to put the Panthers in front 10-6.

An error from a Warriors attacking kick allowed the visitors another attacking set inside the 20 and they duly saluted in the 22nd minute, opting to run on the last with hooker Makaia Tafua. He found his skipper Kalani Going one off the ruck, with the lock forward crashing over to score a simple try from close range to put the Warriors back in front 12-10.  

The Warriors looked like they would take that lead into half-time but an error from an attacking kick gave the home side once last attacking set inside the Warriors' 20. The Panthers kept the ball alive on the last tackle, shifting play to the right before Laurie switched left, where play shifted across all the way to Paul Alamoti. Alamoti went back towards the middle of the field before replacement Soni Luke opted to kick ahead to the in-goal, with starting hooker Brad Schneider winning the race to score one of the team tries of the season, to give the home side an invaluable 16-12 lead.

Penrith opened the scoring in the second half when a quick shift right down the blind side enabled replacement winger David Fale to reach out and score in the southwest corner in the 49th minute to extend the lead out to 20-12, the biggest of the game.

The next 20 minutes saw plenty of end-to-end action from both sides with the Panthers unable to convert further opportunities into points through crucial errors or desperate Warriors defence.

The Warriors eventually took advantage of those missed opportunities, when a kick-return error from Fale inside his own half allowed the visitors another attacking set. They scored on the last tackle, again shifting to Going who crashed over next to the posts from close range for his second try of the afternoon, closing the margin to just two points to set up a grandstand finish with eight minutes remaining.

The Panthers however, were up to the task and controlled play over the closing minutes, denying the visitors the chance to stretch that imposing unbeaten streak to 17 matches, to record a 20-18 win that has Penrith on the brink of qualifying for the NSW Cup finals for a second-successive season with two rounds to play.

Talking points

- Penrith came into this match in fifth spot, two points ahead of the Roosters and one point behind the Jets in fourth.

- The home side was looking to avenge their Round 16, 32-12 defeat at the hands of the NSW Cup Minor Premiers.

- Both sides lost key players for the match. The Panthers came into the game missing hooker Luke Sommerton, but replaced by the very handy Brad Schneider. The Warriors coming into this clash lost key playmaker Tanah Boyd and centre Moala Graham-Taufa.

- Plenty of eyes were on Warriors half Jett Cleary's return to Penrith, with parents Ivan and Bec Cleary watching on, the latter showing her clear support for her son, decked out in Warriors' supporters gear.

- The Panthers' Jesse McLean succumbed to injury early in the second half, while Warriors lock forward Kalani Going was put on report for a high tackle, also in the second half.

Key moment

The Warriors looked to have withstood the Panthers mid-half onslaught to wrestle back a 12-10 lead closing in on half-time. However, the Panthers came up with one of the tries of the season where the ball continually shifted sides and went through several hands. Then Soni Luke's vision to kick to the in-goal enabled Schneider to score and put the Panthers into the sheds with a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the game, despite a tight second half.

What's next?

The Panthers, now one win away from cementing a top-five spot, go into next Saturday's clash with the second-placed St George Illawarra Dragons at Parker St Reserve, full of confidence after their victory. The Warriors will return to New Zealand looking to return to their winning ways, when they host the third-placed Parramatta Eels at The Trusts Arena in Auckland.   

South Sydney Rabbitohs v Western Suburbs Magpies

Alex Hrissis

Match summary

Western Suburbs Magpies have retained the Sattler-Kelly Cup with a resounding 42-24 victory over the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Round 24 of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup at Redfern Oval.

South Sydney struck first against the Magpies with a textbook play between Matthew Humphries and Haizyn Mellars. Humphries put up a routine kick on the last tackle for Mellars who leaped in the air to catch the ball and score for an early 4-0 lead.

It was double trouble at Redfern Oval as Humphries put up an identical kick for Mellars again. The young winger took the ball but could not find the balance to score himself and managed to flick the ball out to Cody Kelso who scored the four-pointer.

Magpies bounced back for their first points of the game through Charlie Staines. The away side had momentum building down the left edge and Brent Naden played a tidy short ball for Staines who burst through the line and scored. Kurt Falls converted the try for a 8-6 score-line.

Western Suburbs scored back-to-back tries to take the lead with a bit of luck on their side. Kurt Falls put in a kick for Izaac Tu’itupou but unfortunately the winger could not take the catch and the ball ricocheted perfectly for Tristan Hope, who took the pill with ease and scored underneath the posts.

The travelling Magpies scored yet again as momentum completely shifted and the floodgates began to open. A tidy short ball was played to Peter Taateo who busted his way through the Rabbitohs’ defence to crash over and score. Falls slotted the two pointer to extend his side’s lead out to 18-8.

However South Sydney were here to play and they bounced back in stunning fashion. The move started with Ammaron Gudgeon sprinting nearly the full length of the field and looked to score for all money before he was brought down by his opposing fullback in Heath Mason. The ball was then quickly spread wide and it was Nicholas Quinn who passed to Mellars and the winger scored in the corner for his second of the day.

Western Suburbs received a penalty in the final seconds of the first half due to an illegal strip and opted to take the two with Kurt Falls slotting it and sending his team into half time with a 20-12 lead.

Magpies scored less than three minutes into the second half courtesy of some miscommunication in the defence from Rabbitohs. Falls put up a bomb kick which was unable to be defused by South Sydney and was regathered by Luke Jack who offloaded to Luke Laulilii for a try. Western Suburbs scored again as they looked to put this game to bed and pushed the score out to 32-12. Mason and Falls combined well with a nice one-two for Mason to cut through the line and score. Falls returned serve by converting the try.

The Bunnies refused to go down without a fight and clawed one back through Fletcher Myers as they looked to mount a late comeback. The young outside back received the ball down that dangerous left edge and busted through a tackle to break the line and score.

South Sydney scored yet again, this time through a barging run from Salesi Ataata. The bustling prop received the ball a few metres out from the tryline and bashed his way through the middle to crash over and score. Humphries converted the try to bring the scoreline to 32-24 with ten minutes on the clock.

Western Suburbs bounced back with a silky try down the left edge as they looked to put the final nail in the coffin. Naden found Staines barging outside him and passed him the pill before the Forbes Ferrari tapped the ball out to former Rabbitoh Tu’itupou who scored in the corner.

The away side scored one final try as they claimed the two points over the Rabbitohs. Some busy work through the middle resulted in Tristan Hope busting through a tackle before offloading to Kurt Falls who scored a comfortable four-pointer. The halfback handed the tee to Luke Laulilii who slotted the kick from in front to make the final score 42-24.

Key moment

Magpies received a penalty shortly before half-time and took the two to push their lead out to 20-12, making the match a two-score game going into the second half.

Talking points

- Matthew Humphries was a shining light for South Sydney as he continued his good form by setting up two tries for Haizyn Mellars.

- First grade experience proved to be the difference for Western Suburbs as Charlie Staines, Brent Naden and Heath Mason all had a hand in tries which fired the Magpies towards the win.

- Salesi Ataata had an impressive game despite the loss, as the young prop showcased his tackle-busting and offloading as well as scoring a try.

What’s next?

In Round 25 of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup the Magpies will host Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, while the Rabbitohs face off against the Canberra Raiders.

Parramatta Eels v Newtown Jets

Eels slip past Jets in riveting encounter

Ellery Behan

Match summary

The Parramatta Eels and Newtown Jets produced a thrilling clash at Kellyville Park on Saturday afternoon, as the Eels scraped through to the end with a 30-28 victory in a contest for the ages.

Early in the match, Parramatta turned defence into attack as Ronald Volkman pounced on a Jets error and found Haze Dunster on his inside who was brought down on halfway. Swiftly shifting the ball to their left edge, they had the Jets stripped for numbers and took full advantage as Araz Nanva shrugged off two defenders en route to the try-line.

Time ticked away, but it was the blue and gold who began to overcome their opponents in the arm-wrestle. Fighting ferociously through the middle, they found the line twice through forwards Wiremu Greig and Jezaiah Funa-Iuta, with both tries being converted to establish a 16-0 advantage.

In danger of letting the contest slip away, Newtown struck back in a timely manner. Attacking the line with plenty of structure, they found their way through Parramatta’s defensive line with a shift to their lethal left edge. Niwhai Puru provided an early ball to Chris Vea’ila, giving him ample time to play an explosive Michael Gabrael through a gap, diving over for his 16th try in 18 matches this season. Puru steered the conversion between the sticks to cut the deficit to 10 at half-time.

Newtown lifted off the tarmac at speed in the second stanza, scoring back-to-back tries through Samuel McCulloch and Eli Clark to notch up a narrow two-point lead.

But the Eels wrestled their way back in front, with a fifth-tackle shift to the left seeing Talataina execute a tap-on pass to perfection, landing it in the hands of Nanva who wriggled away from defenders to score and put his side 20-18 ahead.

The pendulum swung again, this time in favour of Newtown as the trio who combined for their first try banded together once more to reclaim the lead. Shifting left, Puru delayed his pass before finding Vea’ila on his outside, whose quick hands supplied Gabrael with his second try of the afternoon. Puru used the heavy breeze to steer his conversion between the uprights, making it 24-20 in favour of the visitors. 

There was another twist in the tale of this seesawing affair, as a sin bin on Lajuan Vito gave Parramatta the chance to attack a 12-man defensive line. Picking and probing in their quest to level the contest Twidle floated a pass to Richard Penisini, who beat a squadron of Jets in a footrace to the corner to tie the game up at 24-apiece with 13 minutes on the clock.

Poised on the Jets’ try-line in search of points to break the deadlock, Parramatta came up with a miracle play to claim the lead. With the referee signalling last tackle, the blue and gold made a brave call to play the short side, and lightning-fast hands from Talataina and Twidle gave Jake Tago just enough time and space to creep into the corner and plant the ball down. Twidle converted from the sideline to turn a four-point lead into a crucial buffer of six.

As the sun set on Kellyville Park, Newtown had one last throw of the dice to salvage something from the enthralling encounter. Having shut down multiple plays on their right edge, Parramatta’s line was eventually exploited with an unthinkable trick shot. The Jets’ dummy-half floated a high cut-out ball to winger Samuel Stonestreet, catching out Haze Dunster who rushed out of the line and left Stonestreet unmarked to score. Puru couldn’t quite hook his conversion back towards the sticks, and it was waved away after the siren to leave the Eels with a hard-fought 30-28 triumph.

Talking points

- In one of the most exciting contests of the 2025 season, the second half featured a plethora of tries, try-savers, big hits, crucial moments and four lead-changes that brought the crowd into the action.

- Newtown put on a brave display to fight back into the contest after falling 16-0 behind and being without star hooker Jayden Berrell.

- Young five-eighth Lorenzo Talataina put on a marvellous display for the Eels, causing trouble for defenders with his precise ball-playing, flashy footwork and scintillating speed.

- Niwhai Puru was crucial in his side’s fightback, steadying the ship for his team and directing their attack as they battled their way back into the contest.

Key moment

Ronald Volkman came up with what proved to be a heroic, game-saving play. Newtown were looking dangerous in attack, throwing caution to the wind and hitting the ball with plenty of pace. Khaled Rajab exposed a defender in the middle of the park playing Felix Faatili through a gap, and leaving his front-rower with no one but Volkman in between him and the try-line.

He did all he could to put the ball down before the Parramatta halfback miraculously stripped it from his hands and escaped the in goal. The Eels then charged upfield and eventually scored a match-winner of their own, making Volkman’s effort all the more important. 

What’s next?

The Eels will look to string together their fourth-consecutive win as they travel to Auckland to take on the table-topping Warriors, whilst the Jets’ loss may sting for a little while longer as they head into a bye.

Canberra Raiders v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Raiders edge Bulldogs in four-point thriller

Tahlie Gavin

Match summary

A crisp afternoon in the nation’s capital set the stage for the in-form Canberra Raiders to notch their fifth consecutive victory, extending their impressive winning streak with a gutsy display against the Bulldogs.

After a tightly contested opening half, the Bulldogs found their rhythm late, scoring back-to-back tries to take a 10-6 lead into the break. The second half was a back-and-forth battle, with both sides desperate for the two competition points. In the end it was the Raiders who held their nerve, edging out the Bulldogs with a 26-22 victory in Canberra.

A handling error from the Bulldogs saw the Raiders with threatening field position early in the first half. As the Raiders shifted left down the short side, the ball found its way to centre Kain Anderson who scored the first points of the afternoon. A successful conversion from Adam Cook saw the Raiders lead 6-0.

The Bulldogs answered back at the 19-minute mark off the back of an error from Raiders fullback Chevy Stewart. Five-eighth Toby Sexton took the ball to the Raiders' line before putting in a kick over the top for himself, but the bounce saw the ball end up in the hands of his halves partner, Mitchell Woods, who got the ball down for a 4-pointer. A failed conversion attempt saw the Raiders still in front by two points.  

After a gritty first-half battle from both sides, the Bulldogs snatched the lead just before the break. Prop Kurtis Morrin broke through the Raiders’ defensive line and charged toward the try line before squaring up and offloading inside to interchange forward Lipoi Hopoi, who crashed over to score. With Toby Sexton adding the extras, the Bulldogs headed into half-time with a 6-10 lead.

Canberra Raiders second-rower, Noah Martin, opened the scoring in the second half. A high kick from halfback Ethan Sanders was brilliantly tapped back by centre Kain Anderson, allowing Martin to gather the ball and level the scores at 10-10.

On the very next set, Raiders skipper Adam Cook broke through a gap in the Bulldogs' defensive line. Fullback Chevy Stewart, trailing the play, received a sharp pass from Cook and charged toward the try line. Despite Blake Wilson’s pace closing in, Stewart powered through the tackle to score, reclaiming the lead for the Green Machine. Cook added the extras as the Raiders led 16-10.

Finding their rhythm in the second half, the Raiders claimed another try through winger Jensen Taumoepeau. A well-timed cut-out pass from Adam Cook put the ball in Taumoepeau’s hands, as he stretched out to ground it over the line. An unsuccessful conversion saw Raiders extend their lead to 20-10.

Just minutes later, the Bulldogs levelled the scores with a brilliant pass from Toby Sexton, setting up Jed Reardon to time a perfect run through the Raiders’ defence and score. Sexton’s successful conversion gave the Bulldogs a 22-20 lead.

However, the Raiders quickly responded as centre Manaia Waitere claimed his first try of the afternoon. A well-placed kick from Adam Cook bounced perfectly for Waitere, who grounded the ball to put the Raiders back in front. A successful conversion saw the Raiders take the win 26-22.

Talking points 

- Raiders centre Myles Martin left the field for a HIA in the first half but was cleared to return after passing his assessment. 

- Chevy Stewart was placed on report for a biting allegation on Bulldogs fullback Taye Cochrane. 

Key moment 

It was a frantic finish to an equally frantic contest, with both sides going neck-and-neck throughout. In the 76th minute, the Raiders produced a brilliant final effort with Manaia Waitere crossing for his second try to all but seal the result. But it was the Raiders' desperate defence in the dying moments that ultimately held off the Bulldogs and secured a hard-fought victory.

What’s next?

The Raiders will be aiming to build momentum as they travel to Redfern Oval to face the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Saturday afternoon. Earlier in the day, the Bulldogs take on the Western Suburbs Magpies.

Newcastle Knights v St George Illawarra Dragons

North Sydney Bears v Sydney Roosters

Smith scores sensational match-winner in Sunday afternoon shootout

Mason Cernoy

Match summary

The Sydney Roosters came away with a nail-biting victory in a contest that had everything, beating the Bears 28-24 at North Sydney Oval in Round 24.

The game couldn’t have had a more ideal start for North Sydney. After the Roosters allowed the kick-off to go dead, Coby Thomas crashed his way over the line in their first set of the match.

This served as a wake-up call for the Roosters. Over the next 10 minutes, they looked to level the scores but overplayed their hand on a few occasions.

They were slowly winning the field position battle, but it wasn’t until Jesse Marschke’s kick was caught in-goal by Ethan King that the Roosters were really on the front foot. After the tricolours rolled up the field, Ben Johnson broke a tackle on the right edge and found a pass for Trey Peni. He finished the job in the corner to help the Roosters level the scores at 6-6.

In a moment of deja vu, Toby Rodwell dropped the kick-off in-goal leading to a drop-out, but Ethan King regathered the ball off a short one, and was awarded a penalty as well.

Marching into attacking territory once more, the Roosters were sure to execute when Reece Foley spied a gap near the posts and drove his way through.

Following the try, both sides tried to show their moves but ultimately were a bit too ambitious and came up with a few errors. It was getting tight, until two massive plays from Sean Vaivelata changed the game. As the Roosters were defending their line, he took a bone-rattling carry at Xavier Va’a that saw him leave the field for a HIA. Vaivelata was in some sort of mood, with his next carry resulting in a hard-earned try underneath the posts.

The Roosters had been playing some good footy, but the Bears were hanging in there and scores were level at 12-all. The Roosters looked to take the lead for the remainder of the first half, but a brave Bears outfit continued to turn them away.

In the second half, an early error from the Bears put the Roosters right back on the attack. From there, Makahesi Makatoa found their first points of the half in their first set when he crashed over for a simple four-pointer.

Looking to carry on with the job, the Roosters continued to build pressure. Just as it felt like they had an upper hand on the contest, a pass from Toby Rodwell was picked off by Matt Komolafe who raced away to bring the Bears back into the contest.

Down by two points, North Sydney were well in the fight. The Roosters threw an array of attack at them, but they continued holding them out. After surviving an onslaught, they were rewarded for their efforts with a penalty and eventually reclaimed the lead when Aitasi James crashed over (22-18). It was the fourth try scored by a front-rower for the match.

The Sydney Roosters found themselves chasing points once again, and they fought their way back in front when Sandon Smith sliced through the line and added the extras with just over 10 minutes to play (24-22).

As the clock dwindled, opportunities were running out for North Sydney. When Ethyn Martin forced a drop-out off a chip kick, it was unclear whether it would be fruitful as the Roosters had found success winning short drop-outs on multiple occasions throughout the match. This one went too short, leading to an easy penalty goal for Kieran Hayman in front of the posts.

Scores were all locked up with four minutes to play. Another failed short restart attempt from the Roosters invited the Bears to have the first shot at field goal. Unfortunately, an error from Aitasi James denied them this opportunity, so they shifted their mindset to defence.

Following a big set spearheaded by a great carry from Ethan King, Smith got to line up for a shot, but it went wide resulting in a 20-metre tap for the Bears.

They received a penalty, but another handling error this time from Bronson Garlick, provided the Roosters with the final bite of the cherry. The defence was well prepared for Smith’s second field goal attempt with Nathaniel Roache getting there to charge it down. Miraculously Max McCathie was first to the ball, and when he found a pass back to Smith on the inside he showed a burst of speed and raced away to win the game for the Roosters on the siren. Full-time, 28-24.

Talking points

- A classy final 15 minutes from Sandon Smith saw the Roosters make it home. He crossed for two tries in that period to win the match for his side.

- Ethan King had an outstanding game. He was extremely safe under the high ball and his dynamic running style got his side on the front foot on multiple occasions throughout the match.

- Sean Vaivelata showed lots of ticker this afternoon. His carries were consistently destructive, bringing physicality and post-contact metres in spades. His try in the first half went a long way towards keeping the Bears in the contest.

Key moment

Sandon Smith’s try on the buzzer was freakish. It would have been very easy for him to give up on the play after his second failed field-goal attempt, but his game awareness to be prepared to run the ball after the charge-down, along with the speed he showed after taking the ball, won the game for his side.

What’s next?

Both sides will be playing at home next week. The Roosters will look to kick on towards a possible finals appearance when they host the Newcastle Knights at Wentworth Park, while the Bears are back at North Sydney Oval to host the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.